The Safer Internet Forum 2025 sees various online safety stakeholders and young people discuss topics around the theme: "Why age matters: Protecting and empowering youth in the digital age".
About the Forum
The Safer Internet Forum (SIF) 2025 takes place on Thursday 4 December, bringing together online safety stakeholders and young people from across Europe and beyond.
The annual Safer Internet Forum is dedicated to initiatives that support the development of digital skills for children, parents and teachers, while also addressing the needs of vulnerable children and young people. Policymakers, researchers, law enforcement bodies, industry, civil society, educators, parents and young people will come together to exchange views and experiences and explore solutions for a better internet for children.
Theme of the year
The theme of this year’s Forum is “Why age matters: Protecting and empowering youth in the digital age”. Discussions will focus on how to ensure age-appropriate online experiences through proportionate, children’s rights-based approaches. Key topics include the role of age assurance tools, parental support, and how digital services, particularly video games and social media, can better protect and empower children at different stages of development.
Youth at the centre
As in previous editions, young people play a central role in the Forum. The event is supported by the SIF Youth Advisory Group and animated by the BIK Youth Panel, made up of 39 young people from across 25 European countries, who will share their experiences and perspectives alongside other stakeholders.
Sessions and speakers
The programme features a mix of keynote speeches, panel discussions and interactive sessions.
Highlights include an opening dialogue with Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, chaired by members of the SIF Youth Advisory Group, as well as a keynote address by Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner.
Other sessions will also cover key practical and policy challenges, such as “How to better support parents to protect and empower their children online”, featuring speakers including Renate Nikolay (European Commission), Niamh Hodnett (Ireland’s Online Safety Commissioner), Elisabeth Secker (USK), and Elizabeth Gosme (COFACE Families Europe).
A youth-led session, “Empowering parents, raising resilient kids: a partnership for responsible gaming”, will explore age ratings and parental control tools with contributions from Dirk Bosmans (PEGI) and Davinia Marie Muscat (BeSmartOnline Malta).
The afternoon programme includes a roundtable and parallel sessions on potential age restrictions for social media, where young people, parents and experts will discuss children’s rights, safety-by-design, and what the digital environment should look like in the future.
Outputs from the Forum will be shared in the coming weeks.
More from this author
The Safer Internet Forum 2025 sees various online safety stakeholders and young people discuss topics around the theme: "Why age matters: Protecting and empowering youth in the digital age".
About the Forum
The Safer Internet Forum (SIF) 2025 takes place on Thursday 4 December, bringing together online safety stakeholders and young people from across Europe and beyond.
The annual Safer Internet Forum is dedicated to initiatives that support the development of digital skills for children, parents and teachers, while also addressing the needs of vulnerable children and young people. Policymakers, researchers, law enforcement bodies, industry, civil society, educators, parents and young people will come together to exchange views and experiences and explore solutions for a better internet for children.
Theme of the year
The theme of this year’s Forum is “Why age matters: Protecting and empowering youth in the digital age”. Discussions will focus on how to ensure age-appropriate online experiences through proportionate, children’s rights-based approaches. Key topics include the role of age assurance tools, parental support, and how digital services, particularly video games and social media, can better protect and empower children at different stages of development.
Youth at the centre
As in previous editions, young people play a central role in the Forum. The event is supported by the SIF Youth Advisory Group and animated by the BIK Youth Panel, made up of 39 young people from across 25 European countries, who will share their experiences and perspectives alongside other stakeholders.
Sessions and speakers
The programme features a mix of keynote speeches, panel discussions and interactive sessions.
Highlights include an opening dialogue with Henna Virkkunen, Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, chaired by members of the SIF Youth Advisory Group, as well as a keynote address by Julie Inman Grant, Australia’s eSafety Commissioner.
Other sessions will also cover key practical and policy challenges, such as “How to better support parents to protect and empower their children online”, featuring speakers including Renate Nikolay (European Commission), Niamh Hodnett (Ireland’s Online Safety Commissioner), Elisabeth Secker (USK), and Elizabeth Gosme (COFACE Families Europe).
A youth-led session, “Empowering parents, raising resilient kids: a partnership for responsible gaming”, will explore age ratings and parental control tools with contributions from Dirk Bosmans (PEGI) and Davinia Marie Muscat (BeSmartOnline Malta).
The afternoon programme includes a roundtable and parallel sessions on potential age restrictions for social media, where young people, parents and experts will discuss children’s rights, safety-by-design, and what the digital environment should look like in the future.
Outputs from the Forum will be shared in the coming weeks.
- Safer Internet Forum (SIF) age assurance age verification
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